KANSAS CITY -- The Royals avoided going to an arbitration hearing with one of their star players by signing first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino to a two-year contract, the club announced Friday night.
The deal, which covers Pasquantino’s first two years of arbitration, is worth more than $11 million guaranteed, sources told MLB.com. It can max out at $15.7 million with incentives.
According to a source, Pasquantino will make around $4.2 million in 2026 and around $6.9 million in ‘27, with escalators based on plate appearances as well as end-of-season accomplishments like American League MVP voting and All-MLB First and Second Team.
Pasquantino will have one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2028 before becoming a free agent in ‘29.
“I don’t think there was an urgency, and I don’t think Vinnie would tell you there was an urgency,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “I think we both understood where we were. There was a lot of good dialogue going back and forth, and in the end he was going to be a Royal, and he was going to have a significant raise from last year to this year regardless of who won the hearing and who lost the hearing. But [previously], there were some discussions about, ‘How do we give you some security, some stability for us, some payroll certainty that I think is good for us to have?’
“... Like any of those extensions that are really capturing arb years, there’s a give and take on both sides. There’s an equal risk taken on both sides. And once we got to a point where we both understood or maybe where each party’s boundaries were, [that] is when we were able to come to a deal.”
While it’s not a long-term extension, securing Pasquantino’s short-term future and avoiding an arbitration hearing is welcome news for both the club and the slugger, who has blossomed into one of the Royals’ best players and has become a fan favorite. In fact, Kansas City also announced Friday that Pasquantino would appear at Royals Rally on Saturday, the club’s one-day fanfest at Kauffman Stadium. He was previously not listed among the attending players.
“I’m happy to be here,” Pasquantino said Saturday. “I’m glad we got that done. They didn’t have to do that. And I think the negotiations went pretty well. I’m glad it’s over. … I think it’s good for both sides. I think both sides are taking on some risk, I think both sides understand the value there, and I’m happy we got it done and we don’t have to talk about it for two years.”
The Royals and Pasquantino didn’t come to an agreement on a 2026 salary ahead of the Jan. 8 deadline. They appeared to be headed for a hearing in the coming weeks that would determine Pasquantino’s salary -- either the $4.5 million that Pasquantino filed or the $4 million that the club filed.
Now that’s all settled with this new contract, and Pasquantino can head to Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic -- he’s committed to play for Team Italy again this year -- without any uncertainty. And the contract gives the Royals more payroll stability over the next two years.
The guaranteed contracts they have on their books beyond 2026 include Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia, Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, as well as a club option for Carlos Estévez.
All of those names are key figures for a team eying postseason contention, and Pasquantino is a huge part of that group. He has become a clubhouse leader and a key part of the core the Royals envision leading them now and in the future.
The 28-year-old Pasquantino hit 32 home runs in 2025, becoming just the fourth left-handed batter in Kansas City history to hit 30-plus homers in a season, joining John Mayberry (34 in 1975), George Brett (30 in 1985) and Mike Moustakas (38 in 2017). Pasquantino’s 32 homers tied for 10th in the AL, and his 113 RBIs ranked third and were the ninth most by a Royal in a season.
After missing time each of his first three seasons in the big leagues, Pasquantino stayed on the field for the entire 2025 season, logging 160 games and 682 plate appearances while slashing .264/.323/.475. He earned AL Player of the Week honors twice in '25, from June 2-8 and from Aug. 18-24.
Regarding Pasquantino’s long-term future with the club past his arbitration and team-controlled years, that’s a bridge the sides haven’t crossed yet. There seems to be mutual interest in having those discussions, but perhaps not at this time.
“I’m always interested in having conversations,” Pasquantino said. “But the nice thing about this is, for the first time in my career, I don’t have to go into this year worrying about next year. And there’s a lot of peace in mind in that.
"If they want to, if we want to, we can have that conversation, but we don’t need to have it and we’re focused on this year. That’s kind of the nice thing about it. You move into Spring Training and you don’t have to worry about the hearing. You can focus on getting ready to play and going to make the playoffs, with the ultimate goal of winning the World Series.”
The Royals still have one unresolved arbitration case: Left-hander Kris Bubic didn’t come to an agreement ahead of the deadline, and he is likely headed for a hearing. Bubic filed at $6.15 million, while the club filed at $5.15 million.